The tongue can get cut when a fall or blow causes someone to bite down on it.

Any cut inside the mouth usually bleeds heavily because of the rich supply of blood to the area.

Routinely using seat belts and car seats can reduce the risk of trauma as a result of car accidents.

If your lip is swollen or bruised, apply a cold compress. If there is bleeding, apply pressure with a clean cloth for at least five minutes. To help limit swelling, bleeding and discomfort, wrap crushed ice in clean gauze or a clean piece of cloth. Hold it inside the cheek.

Certain injuries will require medical attention from an oral or maxillofacial surgeon. It is particularly important to have an experienced surgeon stitch cuts that cross the vermilion border. This is the line that forms the junction between the skin and the fleshy part of the lip. Experience is required to make sure this boundary looks right as it heals. Even a small irregularity will be permanently noticeable.

The doctor will first thoroughly clean the wound with lots of salt water or a hydrogen peroxide rinse to remove bacteria. Puncture wounds to the lip will then be closed from the inside out. Stitching all layers reduces the chance of scarring and helps make sure that the muscles around the lip can still move.

Small puncture wounds in the tongue usually heal without the need for any treatment other than cleansing with antiseptic or hydrogen peroxide rinses. Large cuts may require stitches. However, they are hard to keep in place because the tongue is so mobile during talking and chewing.

Because the mouth is rich with bacteria, an antibiotic often is prescribed after a cut to the lip or tongue to ward off infection.

If a tooth is loose, visit your dentist.